Computational Biology and Bioinformatics PhD
Program Code: G-CBB-PHD
Degree Designation: Doctor of Philosophy
Department: Biostatistics and Bioinformatics
Website: https://medschool.duke.edu/education/biomedical-phd-programs/computational-biology-and-bioinformatics-program
Program Summary
The Duke University Doctoral Program in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics (CBB) is an innovative, interdisciplinary degree program designed to provide rigorous training at the interface of the quantitative and biological sciences. CBB students receive classroom training and engage in original research under the supervision of program faculty, representing more than eighteen departments spanning biological and computational disciplines in the medical school and main campus.
The CBB Program is explicitly designed to prepare students for the broad and rapidly evolving field of computational biology research. To this end, the curriculum is flexible and tailored to the needs and interests of each student through regular meetings with the Student Advisory Committee, consisting of faculty experts in the various disciplines that make up computational biology on campus.
Along with this didactic training, faculty-supervised research is an integral component of the training program. This begins in the first year when students join faculty-led research groups for research rotations, introducing new research problems and methods in an immersive environment. Trainees conduct three rotations in their first year of study and choose a dissertation advisor after the spring semester of their first year.
For additional information, visit the website or email cbb_admin@duke.edu.
Academic Requirements
The CBB core curriculum emphasizes the integration of biology and computation, as reflected in the syllabus of each core course, which includes lectures on quantitative principles and methods along with biological applications. The core courses taken by all CBB students include Computational Biology and Bioinformatics 520, Computational Biology and Bioinformatics 540, and one of Computational Biology and Bioinformatics 561, 662, or 663. In addition to the core courses, all CBB graduate students are expected to take several elective courses, within CBB and outside the program, in areas of biological and quantitative sciences related to their chosen research. In addition, all first and second-year students must register for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics 510S (Computational Biology Seminar) and Computational Biology and Bioinformatics 511 (Journal Club).